Chad Bowden Reveals Reason Behind USC Trojans Recruiting Surge

Building genuine relationships still matter in recruiting. A majority of the discussion around recruiting revolves around NIL and who can offer the most lucrative collective packages.

It is important in this era of college football, USC learned the ramifications of falling behind in that department, but it’s not the only factor and contrary to popular belief it’s not even the most important.

Changing the Narrative

USC Trojans general manager Chad Bowden hired from Notre Dame Fighting Irish | USC Trojans Video Youtube

The best way to stack talent and build sustained success over a period of time is still through high school recruiting.

And since the turn of last year, recruiting for the Trojans has changed dramatically. They have regained control of their state and made major waves to land blue-chip prospects from just about every part of the country.

So, what has changed for USC in the last year and a half?

“I think it’s coaches that are willing to build genuine relationships," Bowden said on Trojans Live. "We got some phenomenal coaches. I look at Trovon Reed, I look at Chad Savage. These guys are phenomenal recruiters because they care about the kids. When you look at our front office, guys like Dre Brown, Weston, Dogg, Max, these guys care about young people."

"When you have a staff, a front office, every member of the program that truly cares about helping these kids reach their full potential that’s when you have something really special. I think the kids that were recruiting, they feel it, they know it. It’s a credit to the coaches, it’s a credit to the front office, credit to everybody in the building for where this program is going.”

Of course, it’s naïve to say that USC fixing its NIL collectives hasn’t played a big part. But recruits and parents can see through fake and no amount of money can fix inauthenticity. The coaches and recruiting personnel for the Trojans have been upfront with recruits throughout the process and have expressed a passion to not only develop recruits into great football players but also great young men.

USC coaches recruit the entire family because prospects commit to people more than a school. Players spend the most time with their position coaches throughout their college career. In addition to developing them on the field, they play an important role in their development as people as they enter a crucial part of their life.

Behind the Scenes

USC Trojans Recruiting Class Chad Bowden Trovon Reed Spring Practice Visit Lincoln Riley NIL Collectives Recruit Big Ten — Aug 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches from the sidelines against the Missouri State Bears in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

USC is often referred to as “Poly U” because of its rich history of great Polynesian student-athletes in the football program that stretches across generations. Aaron Amaama, aka Coach Dogg, the Trojans' director of high school recruiting relations, was widely known around USC, but the rest of the country is starting to recognize the impact he’s had on recruiting.

Dogg is responsible for bringing in the next generation of Polynesian players. Recruits have spoken about the family environment he brings and view him as an older brother. Assistant general manager Dre Brown’s importance behind the scenes in the Trojans stacking recruiting classes cannot be understated. Brown sets up unofficial visits with underclassman and more often than not is developing relationships with them before they get to know Bowden.

After landing the No. 1 class in the 2026 cycle, USC went on another heater this spring for the 2027 cycle, headlined by landing recruits such as San Diego (Calif.) Cathedral Catholic five-star Honor Fa’alave-Johnson, Corona Centennial (Calif.) four-star receiver Quentin Hale, Mater Dei (Calif.) four-star cornerback Danny Lang and flipping Servite (Calif.) four-star offensive tackle Drew Fielder from Oregon.

The emphasis on recruiting Southern California has caught the attention of local prospects in the 2028 and 2029 cycles as they flocked to campus during spring practice and for many of them, they took multiple visits.

Max Stienecker, the executive director of player personnel and Weston Zernechel, the director of recruiting are heavily involved with recruiting individual players. It’s a collective effort from top to bottom. And the Trojans are showcasing what an NFL-style front office can do for a program.

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